Death — something to talk about
Talking about death won’t kill you — but sometimes it can be frightening or awkward. The 100% Certainty Project promotes books to read and talk about, which will help to get conversations started about what’s important to you when you face what is inevitable.
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Read. Reflect. Talk about books.
Talk about death. Live your fullest life.
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Events
Wednesday, November 1, 2023; 4:00–7:30 p.m.
Living in the Gap: an honest look into how death, dying, loss, grief and bereavement are experienced in Hamilton
Hosted by Compassionate Hamilton
Why attend?
• Serious illness, caregiving, dying and grieving impacts everyone.
• Your work research, teaching or personal life intersects with these topics.
• You are a citizen of Hamilton with a desire to learn more about the gaps in our community and becoming involved in creating solutions.
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Free entry, special guests, live music and free parking
The First Unitarian Church of Hamilton
170 Dundurn Street South, Hamilton
Questions? Contact compassionatehamilton@gmail.com
Past events
Thursday, September 28, 2023; 6:00 p.m.
Hope for the Best Plan for the Rest
Conversation with the expert authors, Dr. Hsien Seow and Dr. Sammy Winemaker
Hamilton Public Library, Central branch
Wednesday, August 9, 2023; 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Death Café
DBHSC, 100 Main Street West, Hamilton
Wednesday, June 28, 2023; 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Death Café
DBHSC, 100 Main Street West, Hamilton
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Sunday, May 21, 2023; 11:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Cultivating Community in Palliative Care
Philpott Church, 84 York Blvd., Hamilton
2023-2024 Books
This year we did not have to look far to find great books about death, dying, bereavement and loss. Hamilton’s own Drs. Sammy Winemaker and Hsien Seow have published Hope for the best, Plan for the rest, a fantastic guide to help individuals navigate life-changing diagnoses.
And our other picks provide plenty to talk about too.
In Hope for the Best, Plan for the Rest, Dr. Seow and Dr. Winemaker have combined their decades of palliative care research and experience in caring for seriously ill patients. They have harnessed the advice of thousands of patients to create a roadmap that every patient and family will benefit from. In it, they share the 7 keys to unlock a better illness experience and reveal stories, tips and exercises to improve your journey right from diagnosis. These two compassionate experts empower you with practical tools to take charge of your life-changing diagnosis and navigate the health care system with confidence, knowledge, and calm.
Borrow —
contact your local library
The doctor’s report is final: David has cancer. Now the whole family is under the same terrible verdict. David’s wife becomes progressively consumed by the looming shadow of death while his daughters struggle to be as helpful as possible. Meanwhile, David soldiers on, not wanting the tumor to rob him of everything, including the chance to see his granddaughter grow up.
Vanistendael’s extraordinary art and sensitive text provide a powerful portrayal of a family preparing for life after unimaginable loss.
Borrow —
contact your local library
Three months after Kyo Maclear’s father dies in December 2018, she gets the results of a DNA test showing that she and the father who raised her are not biologically related. Suddenly Maclear becomes a detective in her own life, unravelling a family mystery piece by piece, and assembling the story of her biological father. Along the way, larger questions arise: what exactly is kinship? And what does it mean to be a family? Thoughtful in its reflections on race and lineage, unflinching in its insights on grief and loyalty, Unearthing is a captivating and propulsive story of inheritance that goes beyond heredity.
Borrow —
contact your local library
A Big Chill for our times, celebrating decades-long friendships and promises—especially to ourselves—by the bestselling and beloved author of The Guncle.
A deeply honest tribute to the growing pains of selfhood and the people who keep us going, coupled with Steven Rowley’s signature humor and heart, The Celebrants is a moving tale about the false invincibility of youth and the beautiful ways in which friendship helps us celebrate our lives, even amid the deepest challenges of living.
Borrow —
contact your local library
“Reading these books gave me the courage to talk to my parents about what they wanted.”
~ Maria, University Student
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